OK, scratch ZZ Top off the old bucket list. In fact, scratch museum and relic tours off, too, as I think we killed several prehistoric birds with one stone Sunday night.
Excuse me for asking the couple thousand who witnessed the legendary Texan trio do their thang at Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre, but is that as good as it gets nowadays? And should we have expected just a bit more?
I mean, growing up we all danced, drank and partied like rock stars to Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’, Tube Snake Boogie and Tush, but didn’t these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers jump and scream around with us?
Isn’t that why they were dubbed the wild men of music and one of the premier party bands on the planet with a live act not to be missed? Refresh my fading memory, please.
Lead singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard – ironically the only one without a beard – are all in their 60s now, have more fame and hits than everyone else in the Lone Star State combined, but Sunday night’s Double Down Live Tour seemed to lack the extra spark that was responsible for igniting ZZ Top mania.
Perhaps that was then, and this is now.
Sure, it was great to see them in Abbotsford and hear the unforgettable songs we grew up air-guitaring to, but save for some slick video production, a wild drum setup and a skull spewing incense, this veteran group seemed content to just stick in one spot and reel off the hits of yesteryear.
It was sort of like watching Mark Messier play for the Vancouver Canucks – you respected the player’s past greatness, but wondered WTF about the present! At least ZZ Top came to play!
The Police recently did an abbreviated comeback tour where critics suggested retirement isn’t always a bad thing if you can’t meet your own standard.
To be fair, ZZ Top had a few things working against them on this night. Unlike the good old days of Sumas, Wash., Sunday is not much of a party night around here. It has also been a while since the band released a significant hit and it was their fifth show in six nights, covering a lot of distance by bus in the process. And driver Bill Douglas, killed Friday night driving Mylie Cyrus’s lighting crew bus, was the band’s backline crew driver for its 2008 tour with Brooks and Dunn, so there were some heavy hearts.
Most fans who showed up to see ZZ Top appeared thrilled to be part of a nostalgic evening, although a few youngsters said after they’d prefer to see Hedley or Nickelback “liven the place up” instead. Whatever.
After opening with Got Me Under Pressure, the next 30 minutes or so was a stroll down memory lane as ZZ Top served up songs from their 14 albums spanning a successful 40-year career.
They appeared to lose some of the early momentum for a spell as the played rootsy blues and Mexican-influenced numbers. In fact, a few folks in the AESC suites seemed more interested in the Vancouver Canucks-Chicago Blackhawks game on TV than the retro-numbers down below.
But with about 35 minutes to go before bedtime, ZZ Top found its mojo and got the joint jumping by reeling off its Eliminator album hits – including their biggest hit-ever Legs, where they brought out the funky, fur-lined guitars.
The girls in the suites were up and dancing and cheering, as was everyone else as songs about sex, fast cars, TV dinners, cheap sunglasses and good times blared over the speakers.
The band’s encore was a medley of hits including the growling boogie La Grange, and a not-so-subtle salute to The Chicken Ranch brothel and the leggy party girls who used to grace their videos.
For what it’s worth, it was neat to finally see the Lil’ Ol’ Band from Texas that fully deserves its place in rock history. It just would have been better to seem them 20 years ago when the music and the showmanship were both unforgettable.
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